The Buffalo Trace cigar was a bit of a novelty for me. I received it as a gift from a friend a while ago. I wanted to pair it with some Buffalo Trace whiskey but did not have any on hand. The cigar stayed in my humidor for almost a year, still in the glass tube because honestly, I forgot all about it.
- Ring Gauge: 50
- Length: 5 inches
- Wrapper: Sumatra and Dominican tobaccos
- Binder: Dominican Republic
- Filler: Dominican Republic
I came across the cigar again while digging through my stash and decided it was time to pick up a bottle and pair the two Buffalo Trace products.
The Buffalo Trace Cigar is made with a Sumatran and Dominican Republic wrapper, along with Dominican long leaf binder and filler. The tobacco in these cigars is aged for 3 to 6 months in used Buffalo Trace Bourbon barrels. Then, each cigar is sealed inside of a glass case.
When I finally removed the cigar from its glass tube, I was looking forward to some sort of whiskey aroma. Unfortunately, for whatever reason, there was none. What I did find was a sweet tobacco aroma on the foot and a mild tobacco aroma on coming from the wrapper.
The two different wrappers were rolled in a barber pole effect and looked very nice. The cigar had a very firm feel along the body with some give at the foot.
The cigar had a very easy draw on the pre-light. There was not much flavor coming through though.
Once lit, the cigar produced a firm ash and a slightly uneven burn. I needed to touch it up once along the way.
Overall, this particular cigar was fairly mild with some strength on the retrohale.
Now, on to the Buffalo Trace whiskey. This bourbon is distilled in Frankfort, KY not far away from the Woodford Reserve distillery.
Once I poured about two fingers worth into my glass, I took in the aroma and was delighted with the corn, oak and vanilla scents coming from the glass.
While I sipped the whiskey, there was a slight burn in the back of my throat and a sense of warmth surrounded my palate. Along with that slight heat was a taste of honey with more corn and oak.
I don’t know that I would sip the Buffalo Trace bourbon on the rocks or straight up often. I do think it would go well in an Old Fashioned or Manhattan cocktail.
As far as the pairing of the bourbon and the cigar, they were both enjoyable even though I was slightly disappointed in the cigar overall.
I was more than slightly disappointed in the cigar, it was soft and burned ragged. The draw was ultra light because there was not much filler and what was there was so loosely bound. I am glad I didn’t buy, someone gave it too me.
I’ve been doing a bit of whiskey drinking myself lately, and have a few bottles of Irish, Scotch and Bourbon Whiskey. I find that most Bourbon is a little rough on the finish, so it’s not my preference for sipping straight either. However, I do like Buffalo Trace. It’s great in cocktails or with a splash of cola. It’s fairly sweet and really shines in those applications.